Many Ticketmaster users have experienced the frustrating “unexpected error” message when trying to purchase tickets online. This vague error doesn’t provide any details about what went wrong, leaving customers confused and unable to complete their ticket purchase.
There are a few common reasons why Ticketmaster might show this unhelpful error message:
High traffic causing website issues
For popular events that have just gone on sale, Ticketmaster frequently gets hammered with an extremely high volume of traffic. This flood of requests can overwhelm the website and cause intermittent errors or slow page loading. The “unexpected error” message is likely tied to technical issues on Ticketmaster’s end when their servers are overloaded.
Bot traffic interfering with purchases
Bots are automated programs that ticket brokers use to quickly purchase as many tickets as possible when a sale starts. These bots spam the Ticketmaster website all at once, crowding out real human customers. The unexpected error message may be caused by bot traffic interfering with the ticket buying process.
Integration problems with payment processors
There are often glitches that occur when Ticketmaster tries to communicate with external payment processing services. If there’s a disconnect as Ticketmaster attempts to handle payments, it can produce an unexpected error preventing the order from going through.
Troubleshooting Techniques to Avoid Unexpected Errors
If you encounter the dreaded “unexpected error” on Ticketmaster, there are a few troubleshooting techniques you can try to get around it:
Wait and retry later
During high traffic sales, waiting an hour or two for volume to die down may allow you to complete your purchase without any unexpected errors. You can also try clearing your browser cookies/cache to refresh your connection.
Use a different device or browser
Switching to another device or web browser can sometimes fix unexpected errors by giving you a clean slate free of any tech gremlins that were causing problems in your previous session.
Try an alternative payment method
Substituting a different credit card or payment type may help bypass any issues related to failed communications between Ticketmaster and a particular payment processor.
Contact customer support
If all else fails, reaching out to Ticketmaster customer service may help identify any problems on your account causing unexpected errors. They may also be able to directly process your ticket order over the phone or chat.
Why Unexpected Errors Occur More Often with Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster seems to suffer from unexpected errors and technical glitches more often compared to other major ticket retailers. Here are some of the reasons why:
Overwhelmed by demand for hot events
As the dominant primary ticket seller, Ticketmaster is the go-to place for big concerts and shows. The massive influx of traffic for must-have events pushes their systems beyond capacity.
Lagging technology infrastructure
Experts suggest Ticketmaster relies on some outdated technical infrastructure that isn’t equipped to smoothly handle huge volumes. Their systems are in need of upgrades to improve stability.
Bot traffic attacks
Ticketmaster is the biggest target for ticket brokers using bots to gobble up tickets, as it’s the official source for most venues. All this bot activity overwhelms their servers.
Integration with vendor systems
Ticketmaster integrates with many different backend vendor systems for payments, etc. Any latency or failures with vendor APIs can cause cascading issues.
Tips for Avoiding Unexpected Errors in the Future
Here are some tips for dodging unexpected errors on future Ticketmaster purchases:
Use Ticketmaster Verified Fan
For very popular events, Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan feature lets you register in advance to get emailed codes for an exclusive pre-sale with randomly assigned purchase times. This helps prevent bots and scalpers from grabbing all the tickets.
Get tickets directly through the venue
When available, buying tickets directly through the venue’s website instead of Ticketmaster can remove a layer of complexity and technical issues.
Consider fan club or artist pre-sales
Take advantage of pre-sales through an artist’s official fan club or an event promoter’s email list when possible. These typically have less traffic and fewer bots.
Don’t wait until the last minute
Order your tickets as early as possible, since technical problems are more common when masses of people flood the site all at once right as sales open up to the general public.
| Error Cause | Troubleshooting Tips |
|---|---|
| High traffic and overloaded servers | Retry later, clear browser data |
| Bot traffic interference | Use Verified Fan system |
| Payment processing failures | Try alternate payment method |
Conclusion
Ticketmaster’s unexpected error messages are an annoyance caused by the site struggling to handle surges in traffic and payments. While inconvenient, these issues can often be resolved by refreshing, trying another device, or contacting customer service for assistance with your order. Avoiding peak traffic times when tickets initially go on sale can also minimize errors occurring in the first place. With some persistence and patience, fans can usually still snag their desired tickets in spite of technical hiccups.
